


New Beginnings

by thestarkswillendure



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Inspired by Flashpoint timeline, Pediatric Eye Doctor! Caitlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23936689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarkswillendure/pseuds/thestarkswillendure
Summary: A series of encounters that tell the story of how Barry Allen fell in love again.Or, the one where Caitlin is a pediatric eye doctor and Barry is a single father who brings his daughter in for a check-up.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Caitlin Snow, Past Barry Allen/Iris West - Relationship
Comments: 18
Kudos: 67
Collections: Snowbarry Spot Discord Server - April Minibang





	New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Snowbarry Spot Discord Server's April Minibang event, a fic/art collaboration! Themes used: in the rain, seasons.
> 
> I had the honor of having define_serenity as my partner for this event and she created the beautiful art work you see below!

Soft hands press against his shoulders, insistent and firm. 

Barry moans, a smile on his face as he turns, still half-asleep. 

“What are you doing?” he mutters, voice soft and sleep-slurred. If he were to open his eyes, he thinks, there would be a soft familiar smile directed at him. Dark brown eyes, soft curls. A face he loved. 

“You have to wake up,” the voice insists, distant and dream-like. He groaned, brows furrowed in confusion, eyes still closed against the light. “We’re gonna be late”. 

_It was his off day, why did he need to wake up?_

Burrowing deeper into his pillow, he imagines the smell of perfume in the air, familiar and sweet, one he hadn’t smelled in a long time. 

Those same hands grip his shoulder again but now, they feel too small, _wrong._ It hits him suddenly, reality crashing down as another image takes place in his mind. A hospital bed, that same sweet face twisted in pain, hands frail and shaking as they clutched at her chest. 

“Dad! Wake up!”

Barry startles awake, sitting up, heart racing as the last remnants of his dream fade from his mind. _Iris, he’d been dreaming of Iris._

When he looks to the side, he finds Nora staring at him, brown eyes wide and concerned. Barry’s heart twists, not for the first time thinking of how much she looks like Iris when she was younger. 

His daughter peers at him carefully, hesitating before she speaks. “Dad, we’re gonna be late for my appointment.” 

Barry squints at the calendar on the wall over his desk, yawning. ‘Nora Appt. with Eye Doctor’ glares back at him in red ink, the 11 am hastily scrawled underneath underlined multiple times. Barry glances at the digital clock on his nightstand, cursing softly under his breath when he sees that Nora is right, they’re running late. 

Shoving his blankets aside, he gives Nora a cursory glance, relieved when he finds her dressed, hair neatly combed into two braids, laces tied on her sparkly purple sneakers. 

“Did you brush your teeth?” he asks, heading for his own closet. Behind him, Nora sighs exasperated. “Yeah dad, I brushed my teeth”. 

Barry grins, already knowing the answer to his next question. “Did you make your bed?”

Nora doesn’t answer but after a brief pause, Barry hears her attempt at sneaking off quietly. Chuckling, he changes out of his sleepwear and into jeans and a soft cable knit sweater his mother had gifted him a few years ago. 

In ten minutes, Barry has brushed his teeth and finished changing. He pushes Nora out the door, promising to buy her a hot chocolate and a chocolate chip muffin on the way and true to his word, they stop at Jitters. 

They end up arriving 15 minutes late to the doctor's office but it's worth it, Barry thinks, if only for the content smile on Nora's face as she bites into her muffin. 

The lady at the front desk doesn't seem to agree though, a pinched look on her face as she hands Barry the clipboard and points to the form clipped on top. 

"We're already on file with Dr. Thompkins," Barry argues, fishing Nora's insurance card from his wallet.

"Dr. Thompkins is no longer practicing at this location. You should have received a letter in the mail with that info," she replies, frowning as she pushes the clipboard back towards him. "You need to fill out this form before Dr. Snow will see her."

"Dr. Snow?" 

"That would be me," a voice behind him says. When he turns, he isn’t sure what he’s expecting but Dr. Snow isn't it.

She’s young, for one, unlike her predecessor. _Beautiful too_ , a traitorous voice in his mind adds. 

Light brown curls tumbled down onto her shoulders, the silky strands shining as light reflected off them with every shift of her head. Dark brown eyes crinkled at the corners, pretty pink lips twitching up into a kind smile as she stepped forward, hand outstretched.

"Nice to meet you, Mr…" she trails off, waiting for Barry to fill in the rest. 

Gripping her outstretched hand, Barry swallowed. "Allen. Barry Allen." 

She smiled and with a firm shake, dropped Barry's hand, turning her attention to Nora. 

"And you are?"

"Nora," Nora supplied readily, staring at Dr. Snow with wide eyes. "You're pretty."

Dr. Snow laughed, cheeks flushing with color as she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Nora. You’re very sweet." 

"Why… why did Dr. Thompkins leave exactly?" Barry finds himself asking absentmindedly, trying to shake his initial reaction.

Dr. Snow turns, self-assured fingers smoothing invisible wrinkles off her white lab coat. "Dr. Thompkins is expanding his practice so he'll be working out of that second location for time being. In his absence, I'll be the primary practitioner here."

When Barry hesitates, she smiles again but this time, there's a hint of underlying coldness. "I can assure you I'm quite qualified, Mr. Allen. I have the degrees in my office to prove it."

Barry winces, sputtering his denial. "No, I didn't mean t- I wasn't… I'm sorry. This just took me by surprise."

Dr. Snow nods and almost dismissively, turns back to Nora. "Why don't we get you checked out now while your dad fills out the forms?"

Nora nods, glancing back at Barry as Dr. Snow leads her away. Barry waves, feeling sheepish and a little embarrassed. Once they've disappeared down the hallway, Barry sits and starts to fill out the form, copying down the information on Nora's insurance card.

When he finishes, he returns the card to his wallet and pauses, a pang of loss sparking through him. 

Iris' picture stares back at him from the family photo he keeps in his wallet. 

It'd been two years now since she'd passed and Barry still missed her everyday. How could he not? 

She was his best friend, his family, his partner in all things. She'd given him a daughter, one who'd taken after her mother in so many ways. Sometimes he looked at Nora and all he could see was Iris. 

It hadn’t been easy, adjusting to life as a single parent, to life without Iris. No less harder than those final months had been, standing by helpless as Iris’ condition worsened. Nora had only been five at the time, barely old enough to remember any of it (and _god_ , Barry hoped she didn’t remember her mother like that. Sometimes, he wished he could forget it too). 

It hadn’t been easy, it still wasn’t but between Joe and his parents, Barry hoped he was doing right by Nora. 

As he gazes at the picture, thumb brushing reverently against the plastic casing, he recalls the day it was taken. Nora’s fourth birthday. They’d taken Nora out to a water park for the day, a surprise. Barry could still remember the wide-eyed, slack-jawed look of pure awe on her face as they’d stood at the park’s entrance. And the peaceful look on her face as she slept the whole ride back home, tired and damp from the long day, skin sunburnt and glowing in the fading evening sun. 

He must have been reminiscing for longer than he thought because suddenly, Nora is rushing down the hallway back into his arms. 

“All done!” she reports, grinning. Barry smiles, holding four fingers up close to Nora’s face. 

“How many fingers am I holding up?” he asks, laughing when she shoves his hand away. 

Dr. Snow’s heels click as she comes to a stop before them. When Barry looks up, she’s smiling at them, expression warm and open. 

“Well, I can definitely say her eyesight is not that bad,” she reports, a teasing edge to her words, “but she may need some reading glasses.” 

Barry nods, not too surprised. Nora spent far too many nights trying to read by the light of her nightlight. When he glances at her, gaze knowing, she smiles sheepishly. 

“Part of that is naturally due to the astigmatism she has but it would be wise to avoid straining her eyes anymore than she has to,” Dr. Snow continues, rocking a foot back onto her heels. “Dana will help you pick out some frames.”

“Thank you, Dr. Snow. We appreciate it,” Barry stood. 

“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Allen. You as well, Nora.”

She turns to leave and that should be the end of it, Barry thinks as he turns towards the glass case where they keep the frames, Nora tugging at his hand. He won’t see her again, not for at least another year, until the next time he brings in Nora for a check-up. 

That should be the end of it… 

But it isn’t. 

Rather, it is the beginning of everything. 

* * *

The next time Barry sees her is a few days later when he comes in to pick up Nora’s glasses during his lunch break. 

He sighs as he enters the cool air-conditioned room, the blast of heat from outside warm against his back for a few seconds before the door finally closes. 

He goes up to the reception desk, where Dana the receptionist seems to be perpetually unimpressed. Sliding the ID over the countertop, he tells her he’s here to pick up Nora’s glasses. With a pop of her bubblegum, she stands and disappears down the hallway without a word, ID in hand. 

Barry frowns. He’s about to call out to her when he’s distracted by a teenage girl stomping her way out of one of the exam rooms, a fierce scowl on her face. 

“Why can’t I just get contacts instead?” she spits, whirling around and rolling her eyes when a woman (presumably her mother) steps out of the room towards her.

“You have to be very meticulous when it comes to contacts, dear. I’ve seen those articles about people who leave their contacts in overnight and go blind,” the woman replied. After a moment, she adds, “I think you’d look very nice with glasses.”

The comment is clearly meant to pacify but it only seems to annoy the girl further. 

“Glasses are not cool, mom! I’m gonna look like a loser,” she whines. 

“Mrs. Donoghue,” Dr. Snow’s voice pipes up from within the room. She steps into view after a moment, looking every bit as neat and professional as she had when he’d last seen her. “Lenses are usually a very safe and effective form of vision correction. If Cathy really wants contacts, part of our package is a class forum on how to care for the lenses and how to apply them, which would reduce the likelihood of microbial buildup. You can sit in on the information session if you’d like, ask any questions.”

As Barry listens in, admiring the calm and collected way she speaks, he can’t help but note how tired she looks. Dark circles color the skin under her eyes and her skin seems paler, almost sickly under the fluorescent lighting. 

Almost as if she can feel his eyes on her, she turns her head towards him, blinking in surprise. In front of her, Mrs. Donoghue seems to be having a wordless conversation with her daughter, neither one backing down from their stance.

“Dr. Snow,” she sighs, after a long tense silence. Dr. Snow blinks, eyes slowly dragging from Barry back to the matter at hand. “I think we’ll need some time to explore our options.”

Dr. Snow smiles tightly, nodding. “Take all the time you need. You can make your appointment at the front desk.”

From further down in the hall, Barry sees the receptionist, Dana, heading back. He takes the case from her once she reaches him, still peripherally aware of the conversation taking place near them. 

When Mrs. Donoghue and her daughter finally step away, Barry takes the opportunity. 

“Afternoon, Dr. Snow,” he greets shyly. 

She attempts a smile that falls flat, the skin around her eyes tightening briefly. 

“Mr. Allen. How are you today?”

Barry steps closer to her, eyes scanning her face. He didn’t know why he found himself drawn to her at this moment but he wasn’t about to start questioning it either. Not now. 

“As well as can be,” Barry replies then hesitates, “How are you?”

She sighs, reaching up to massage her temples. “I’ve had better days but that’s life, right?”

Barry frowns, concerned. “Is there anything I can do?”

Dr. Snow freezes, hands falling to her sides. Dark brown eyes scrutinize his face, searching for… something. She smiles briefly, a sharp smile tinged with disbelief. 

“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Allen, but there’s no need,” she shakes her head as if to emphasize her point and once again, Barry is struck by how soft her hair looks, how it shines in the afternoon sun. At his sides, his fingers twitch with the desire to touch.

“It really wouldn’t be too much of an issue,” Barry argues. “Just tell me what you need.”

When she looks at him again, there’s something akin to wonder in her eyes. 

Flushing, she tucks her hair behind her ear, glancing down at her shoes. She hesitates another second and then with a shake of her head, heads towards the front desk. Barry watches as she grabs a pen and a packet of post-it's and begins to scribble. 

After a long drawn-out moment, she turns, holding out the post-it toward him. 

“Thank you so much for doing this. Um… my purse is back in my office, I’ll get the cash real quick and come right back,” she breathes quickly, making a face that screams ‘sorry’. 

“No need,” Barry waves her off, already heading for the door. Behind him, Dr. Snow sputters in protest. He heads across the street to the pharmacy to buy the items she’d requested. As he stands in line, glancing between the two boxes of over-the counter medicine and the note in his hand, an idea pops into his head. 

A gesture really, if Barry allows himself to think about it. Which he won’t. He steps up to the counter once called and pays for his purchases. Afterwards, he heads to the deli a few shops down. It doesn’t take him long to get everything together and while it does put a dent in his lunch expenses for the week, the look on Dr. Snow’s face is worth it. 

“You shouldn’t have!” she exclaims, wide-eyed. 

Barry shrugged, watching as she took the lid off the chicken noodle soup he’d bought and breathed in the smell. When she looks at him, gratitude shining in her eyes, he can’t help the blush that rises to warm his cheeks. 

“Can’t take meds on an empty stomach. Besides, Nora can’t afford to lose her favorite opthamologist,” he jokes. 

“Hopefully, I’m her only opthamologist,” she replies, tone warm and… flirty?

She glances down again at his purchases, the medicine she’d requested, the soup he’d bought on a whim. When she speaks again, her voice is soft, almost a whisper in the stillness of her office. “Thank you again. I really do appreciate it, Mr. Allen.”

“Barry,” he cuts in quickly, “call me Barry.”

She smiles and it takes Barry everything in his power not to glance down at her lips. 

“Caitlin,” she offers. He nods, turning the name over in his head. It suited her. 

“Hope you feel better… Caitlin.”

* * *

The next time Barry sees her, only a few weeks later, he’s out grocery shopping with Nora. 

“Dad, can we make pancakes tomorrow?” Nora asks, pushing the cart along diligently. It hadn’t been too long ago that she would have wanted to sit in the cart but now, she refused, having told Barry very matter-of-factly that sitting in the cart was for babies and she wasn’t a baby anymore. 

(When she’d first told him that, Barry had instinctively turned to his side, expecting to see his own amusement reflected in Iris’ expression. The absence had felt like a swift jab to the gut, stealing his breath away and leaving him faintly ill.)

“You’re sleeping at grandma and grandpa’s tonight, remember?”

Nora hummed thoughtfully for a moment, “Can we make cookies later tonight then? For dessert. We can bake an extra batch for them. And for grandpa Joe!”

Barry smiled, grateful that at the very least Nora wasn’t at the age yet where she thought hanging out with her dad was uncool. 

"What kind do you want to make?" he asks, placing a bag of apples in the cart.

"Chocolate chip!" 

Barry's reply about needing to cut down on the sugar is all but forgotten when he glances up and sees her coming down the aisle. He almost doesn’t recognize her at first without her lab coat. She’s wearing a green romper, the dark earthy color bringing out the tan in her skin. 

Barry blinks as he takes her in, something hot pooling low in his gut as he takes in the short hem and her long legs.

Recognition sparks in her eyes and within a few seconds, she's come to a stop next to them, smiling brightly under the glow of the store's bright lights. 

"Dr. Snow," he breathes, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious in the ratty old jeans he’s wearing. "What a surprise."

"Oh please, Barry, we're not in the office. Call me Caitlin," she reminds him. "Nice to see you again. You too Nora."

"Caitlin," he repeats, nodding. "Are you feeling any better?" 

Her smile widens. Behind her, someone coughs to get their attention. They've taken up the entire aisle. Caitlin flushes, apologizing and steers her cart so she's right behind Barry. 

"I do. I feel much better," she replies once their audience of one has moved on. "Thank you again for the soup and the medicine. You're my hero."

Out of the corner of his eye, Barry can see Nora closely scrutinizing their interaction. He wonders if this is a conversation they'll have to have. 

"Anytime."

"I'm gonna go get the cookie dough!" Nora announces suddenly and then takes off down the aisle, ignoring Barry's calls. 

Caitlin laughs. "Cookies, huh? Big baker, are you?" 

Barry scratched at the back of his head, torn on whether to go after Nora or not. She knew the layout of the store well enough and it wasn't like she hadn't wandered off at the store before, especially now that she was older but a part of Barry, overprotective and quick to imagine the worst, couldn't help but worry. 

"Not really," he answered, distracted. When Nora comes racing back moments later, cookie dough in hand, he sighs in relief, the ball of discomfort easing in his chest. "I only really know how to make cookies."

"Grandma Nora tried to teach him and mom how to bake pies and the pies ended up burning," Nora adds, giggling with all the mischievous innocence an eight year old could muster. 

"Hey!" Barry protests half-heartedly, the casual mention of Iris from Nora twisting at his heart. 

Barry had always tried to keep Iris, the memory of her, alive for Nora. But he didn't always succeed, the grief and pain choking him at times. He'd never wanted her to feel like she couldn't talk about her mother but Nora seemed to realize it hurt him. She mentioned her less and less as time went on and though he knew part of it was simply the fact that she had few memories of Iris of her own, another part of him knew she didn't talk about Iris as much to spare him. 

Caitlin huffs a laugh, a halfhearted thing that seems to die in her throat prematurely. She glances at Barry, her next question unknowingly grinding salt into the open wound. 

"Do I finally get to meet Mrs. Allen today?" 

Barry's left hand twitches, his wedding ring suddenly burning into the skin of his finger. When he replies, his voice sounds hollow even to his own ears. "My wife passed two years ago." 

Caitlin's mouth falls open, lips rounding into an 'oh' that travels out into the space between them and falls at their feet. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked. I should know better."

It's the bitterness in her voice, underlying the self-chastising words, that piques his interest. "Why do you say that?"

She grimaces, eyes misting over as she answered, "I lost my fiancé a few years ago."

The final puzzle piece slots into place and suddenly Barry understands why he's so drawn to this woman. Their stories, their lives… grief, love, loss… they're the same. Like recognizing like. 

Two kindred spirits left alone in the world. 

* * *

Sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves, a soft breeze stirring them into a rustle. 

Barry sighed, leaning back into the bench, reveling in the smells and sounds of the park around him. The place hadn’t changed much in the years since Barry’s childhood. Even the ice cream vendor parked at the far end of the playground, near the entrance, seemed familiar. 

Across from the sprinklers, Nora was making her way across the jungle gym, legs swinging as she moved from rung to rung. Outwardly, she didn’t seem any different than any other kid here: carefree, happy, full of energy. 

But Barry knew she’d had a rough week at school. She'd tried to hide it at first when she came home on Wednesday and for one infinite horrible moment, Barry had feared the worst. 

He'd imagined something similar to his own childhood, the face of Tony Woodward, his childhood bully, still clear in his mind. But when he'd finally gotten through to her, it wasn't bullying she was in distress over. 

Rather, it was a fight with Leah, her best friend. 

Barry had felt relieved in the moment, pulling her close and assuring her that things with Leah would work themselves out. And they had. The two had made up before the school day on Friday had even finished. 

Still, Barry had wanted to erase the fight from Nora's mind. A day out in Central City seemed like the right idea. 

A loud bark jerked Barry from his reverie. Glancing down, he found a small white shaggy-looking Maltese sniffing at his feet. 

Hurried footsteps came rushing down the path to Barry’s right, a woman’s voice calling for, Barry presumed, the dog at his feet. 

"Khione! Here, girl. Leave the nice- Barry?" 

Barry stood almost reflexively, finding himself face to face with Caitlin.

He was surprised to see her again, so soon after their last encounter at the store. After their shared confessions about dead wives and fiances, the conversation had naturally died out, each lost in their own thoughts as they bade each other good night and went their separate ways. 

Now, here she was, standing before him, blinking back sunlight. Today, her hair was pinned up, soft tendrils curling at her neck and cheeks. Tiny beams of light swayed across her form as the leaves above them rustled, the light picking out the gold in her hair, highlighting the bright red of her lipstick, the blue of her jeans, the colorful flowers printed on her blouse.

“Cait,” he breathed, voice husky and full of _want_ , the nickname slipping from his tongue easily. 

She blinked. Once, twice and then suddenly, almost as if needing something to do, needing an excuse to break eye contact, she crouched, attaching the leash in her hand to her dog’s collar. 

When she stood again, the fire from her eyes had dimmed and Barry had composed himself. Or rather, he’d attempted to. He knew he was staring, staring much longer than was normal, than was appropriate. Much longer than he had any right to.

But she was beautiful. And for some reason, the universe kept pushing them together. 

She stood awkwardly, the silence between them growing more pronounced. 

“Khione?” he finally asked, gesturing to the dog at their feet. 

She huffed a laugh, shaking her head. “My friend Cisco thought it would be funny, you know… because of my last name.”

Barry snorted, crouching down to pet Khione. “Khione. Greek Goddess of Snow. Clever.”

“He thought so too,” she replied drily. “Where’s Nora?”

Barry stood, nodding his head towards the playground. 

“She had a rough week at school, thought this would help cheer her up.” 

At their feet, Khione barked, pacing. 

Caitlin hummed in agreement, her eyes on Barry’s face. “You know, this might not mean much coming from me but… you’re a good father, Barry.”

Barry turned back to her, sincere when he said, “That means a lot, coming from you.” 

Dark brown eyes met his gaze, steady and warm, as a timid smile bloomed in response to his words. Like magnets attracted to each other, they seemed to migrate towards one another slowly until suddenly, a sharp pull brought them flush against each other.

At their feet, Khione barked, seemingly pleased, her leash wrapped around both of their legs and pulling tight at their ankles. 

At Caitlin's squeak of mortification, the situation finally registered. 

Blushing and stammering, they worked in tandem to unravel the leash binding them together. 

It was a heady dilemma and had they not been in a public park, Barry's daughter playing not too far from where they stood, perhaps then Barry could have enjoyed it. The feeling of Caitlin's hands on his chest as they clung to each other for balance, the smell of her perfume, the proximity of her faces. 

Instead, he just felt guilty. 

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he spun out and away from Caitlin, whose face had turned a fascinating shade of red. Glancing at the playground, Barry was relieved to find Nora still playing, having joined in on what seemed to be a game of tag. 

Turning back to Caitlin, who looked every bit as hyper-aware of him as he was of her, Barry allowed himself a moment of impulsivity.

“If this is too forward, tell me and I’ll drop it… but I don’t think I’m alone when I say I feel a connection between us…” Barry trailed off, hesitating again as his eyes sought out Nora, as he thought of Iris. He was opening a door here, one he hoped they wouldn’t resent him for opening. With a heavy exhale, he continued, “If you’re open to it, I’d like to see where it takes us.”

Caitlin’s expression was unreadable, eyes dark as they scrutinized him. When she finally spoke, her words were quiet, a secret set loose in the wind. 

“My fiance, Ronnie… he used to call me Cait.”

Waving off his apologies, she continued, blinking hard to clear the tears that had welled up at the mention of Ronnie. 

“You’re right about not feeling what you feel alone.”

Barry exhaled, realizing only then that he’d been holding his breath. 

“But Barry, I -” 

Whatever Caitlin was going to say next was promptly drowned out by a loud gasp. 

“A puppy!” 

Khione, realizing she finally had an active audience, began to bark, her excitement surpassed only by Nora’s. Wide-eyed, Nora knelt, hand outstretched to the hyperactive dog. When Khione licked her hand, Nora giggled and Barry resigned himself to hearing pleas about getting a dog for the next two or so weeks. 

“She likes you,” Caitlin laughed, now carefully avoiding Barry’s eyes. 

“She’s sooo cute. Dad, look!” 

Nodding, Barry slipped his phone from his pocket, taking a picture, wanting to preserve this moment, the grin on Nora’s face. Then, after a beat or two, he turned the camera on Caitlin, catching her unaware as she watched Nora and Khione. 

Saving the picture as her contact photo, he handed her his phone with a wink. Bemused, she typed in her number (or at least Barry hoped it was her real number. She wouldn’t give him a fake number, right?) and then handed it back to him, fingers lingering where they met his. 

Unable to contain his grin and eager to make their time together last, Barry asked, “Who’s up for ice cream?”

“Me!” Nora’s hand shot up immediately. 

When Barry turned to Caitlin, she seemed uncertain. “Are you sure?”

Barry nodded and though he wanted to take her hand, reassure her, he didn’t want to risk upsetting Nora. Naturally, Barry’s love life had never been a subject of conversation at home so Barry didn’t quite know where she stood on the idea of her dad moving on, dating again. But perhaps, it was finally time to find out. 

With a smile, Caitlin turned. “Nora, do you want to walk her?” 

“Can I?!” 

“Just have to hold on to her leash, okay? We don’t want her running off,” Caitlin replied, her voice adopting that familiar calming quality. 

With Nora leading the way, taking her dog walking duty very seriously, they made their way out of the park. If Barry’s hand found its way to the small of Caitlin’s back somewhere along the way, well… that was between him and her. 

* * *

After weeks of agonizing over how to bring the subject up, it was Nora who brought it up in the end. 

The weeks had passed by in a blur, summer weather giving way to cool crisp fall. Barry, who had long believed himself to be settled for life when he married Iris, felt more and more these days like a high schooler with a crush. 

He and Caitlin had been texting constantly since they’d exchanged numbers that day in the park. Everytime his phone buzzed with a text, he felt giddy. But it was hard not to feel excited when every day he seemed to learn something new about her. 

They’d met up a couple of times too, for simple things like coffee or lunch. Nothing that quite fit the label of ‘first date’. For that, they’d agreed to wait until Barry spoke with Nora. 

Admittedly, Barry had been putting it off. Until now. 

He was settled on the couch, Nora tucked under his arm, listening quietly as he read her ‘Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire’. They’d just finished the section where Viktor Krum asked Hermione to the dance when Nora spoke, glancing up at Barry with wide and knowing eyes. 

“Dad, are you and Dr. Snow dating?”

Barry sputtered, caught off guard. “Wh- where did you get that idea?”

“You look at her funny. Like the cartoons with the hearts in their eyes,” she answered sagely, as if she were making some deeply sophisticated observation instead of comparing him to a cartoon character. Barry suppressed the urge to laugh, biting down on his lower lip. 

“Really?”

She nods. With a sigh, Barry puts down the book, tucking her tighter into his side. “Well, we’re not dating. But… I like her and I’d like to take her on a date. But only if you’re okay with it.”

He watches her face for a reaction that doesn’t come. After a minute or two of silence, he asks, fearing the worst, “How do you feel about that?”

When she speaks, her voice is quiet, barely louder than a whisper. “Does that mean you don’t love mom anymore?” 

Barry flinches. _Is that what she thought?_

Cupping her face, he tips her head up to look at him. “Nora, baby. I will always love your mom and I will always love you. That won’t ever change. _Ever._ ”

When the first tear falls, Barry brushes it away with his thumb. Suddenly, he regrets putting this conversation off. “I miss your mom so so much and I wish she were still here with us. But she’s not.” With a heavy puff of air, he continued. “Moving on doesn’t mean you stop loving someone. Just means you’re finding room in your heart for others.”

Nora seems to mull that over, uncertainty plain on her face as she processes Barry’s words. 

“Think about it this way. If you make a new friend at school, that doesn’t mean you’re going to stop being friends with Leah, right?”

She shakes her head quickly, looking scandalized. “It’s a bit like that then. Maybe you won’t understand it fully now but as you get older, you’ll see how big and limitless love can be.”

As if to underscore his words, Barry’s heart seems to triple in size, looking down into those serious brown eyes. The urge to skip ahead and see into the future grips him, a desire to see what Nora would be like in the future, to see her grown and independent and as bold as her mother. 

But as she ducks her head, resting it against his chest, some part of Barry hopes that she would stay just like this forever. His little girl.

Smoothing a kiss onto her forehead, he lets the conversation lapse into a comfortable silence. 

“I’m okay with it then,” Nora whispers, after what seems like an eternity.

Barry mulls that over, feeling uncertain himself now. “Are you sure? Because you know you’re my priority, always. If you don’t want me to date, I won’t. We’re a package deal, you and me.” 

It’s a halfhearted joke but Nora doesn’t seem to notice, nodding her answer instead. “We can make cookies together and then I’ll have a dog to play with.”

Barry laughs, amused at her priorities. He pokes her side, grin growing when she squeals. “Oh so you’re gonna sell me out for a dog?”

Nora laughs and screams, face red as she tries to escape Barry’s tickling fingers. 

* * *

Life continues and with Nora’s blessing, Caitlin slowly becomes a constant in their life. They continue their coffee dates at Jitters as the weather outside grows colder and the trees get more and more bare, their leaves painting the world with shades of orange, red and brown. 

The lunches they’d once shared outside, they take now into their offices, switching off throughout the weeks. The first time he brings her to CCPD, he introduces Caitlin to Joe and then later that night, to his parents at dinner, pleased when they seem to accept her into their little family without reservations. Barry had admittedly been nervous about introducing her to Joe but he should have known better. With only a clap to Barry’s shoulder and a kind smile to Caitlin, he’d known that Joe understood. Perhaps too well. After all, he’d found Cecile not long after Francine. 

Dinners at home now featured three plates instead of two most of the time and under Caitlin’s meticulous tutelage, Barry (and Nora) finally learned to bake pies. Just in time for Thanksgiving dinner too, Barry hosting for the first time since Iris’ death. They leave an empty seat at the table for her. 

December passes in the blink of an eye, a blur of snow and Christmas decorations, too much cocoa and late nights spent in front of the fire, watching holiday movies. Barry finds himself playing the role of pillow far too often, Nora curled under his arm on one side, Caitlin under the other, Khione dozing at their feet. He doesn’t mind it. 

He rings in the New Year kissing lips that taste of spearmint gum, Caitlin’s soft hair curled in his hands. 

In February, they celebrate Caitlin’s birthday and Caitlin almost cries when Nora gives her her gift, the one she’d insisted on buying with her allowance. It's a little charm bracelet Barry had helped her pick out with a cute little snowflake charm. But it's the card that makes Caitlin teary-eyed, echoing Barry’s words about how big and limitless (misspelled) love can be and expressing how much love Nora had in her heart for Caitlin.

If Barry gets teary-eyed himself, he hides it well, brushing soft kisses into each of their hairlines, pride and love swelling in his heart. 

Spring brings April showers and May flowers and it’s on one of those rainy afternoons, after they’ve finished lunch with his parents, that Barry finally gives in to the urge to utter those three little words. 

They’re sitting out on the veranda, quietly drinking coffee and watching the rain when Nora steps out from the house. She’s wearing her purple raincoat and matching boots. When she glances at them, her eyes are bright and full of mischief. 

“Grandpa said I could play in the rain!”

Ignoring Caitlin’s sputtered protests, she heads out, jumping right into the first puddle she sees. 

“It’s fine! I used to go out in the rain as a kid all the time,” Barry explains, grinning when he hears Nora’s shouts of joy. “Besides, she won’t be out there for long and she has a change of clothes here.” 

Caitlin shoots him a disbelieving look, which turns wary when Barry gets up, hands outstretched to her. 

“Come on,” Barry says, unable to keep the grin off his face. He nods his head out to where Nora is running around, still cheering. “Let’s go.”

“You’re crazy if you think I’m going out into the rain,” Caitlin retorts, hands clutching her coffee mug as if it were a shield. Barry pries it gently from her hands, placing it onto the table.

“Barry, nooooo,” she whines. Still, she allows herself to be pulled up and out of the chair. “My clothes will get wet.”

“Who cares? C’mon, live a little,” Barry teases. “Prove Cisco wrong.”

Caitlin’s eyes flash at the mention of Cisco, who’d been teasing her recently for being uptight. With a bite of her lower lip, she glances out into the rain and then sighs. “Fine but don’t think I don’t know what you just did there.”

Barry smiles and pulls her out into the rain. The rain feels cool against his skin and though it’s nowhere near a heavy downpour, within seconds their clothes have soaked through. Caitlin stares at him, eyes bright, rain dripping off her nose and chin, her hair plastered against her face and neck.

“Now what?” she asks, lips wet and shiny from the rain. Barry leans in to kiss her, just because he can. It’s short and sweet and tastes like spring. 

Stepping back, he pulls her into a dance, right hand sliding into hers as his other hand comes to rest at her waist. She laughs brightly as they turn, the rain a rhythmic song around them.

“I love you,” Barry says, quiet as if it is a sacred confession. 

They come to a stop, Caitlin blinking against the rain, her lashes wet and dark against the paleness of her face. She smiles then, so bright and warm and wide, it’s like the sun has come out from behind the clouds. 

“I love you too.” 


End file.
